Road To Recovery
by nickytheaweshum
Summary: Annabeth Chase decided to apply for an internship at Half-blood Hospital to look good in college applications even though she hated hospitals and for a good reason. However, nothing goes according to plan when she gets a stubborn patient who reacts to nothing and no one. The one and only Percy Jackson. AU
1. Chapter 1: First Day Mistakes

Outside, it was quiet and serene. It was very early in the morning and the golden sun had just barely risen. Birds sang love songs and everything seemed so bright and beautiful. The streets were silent, apart from an occasional businessman talking rapidly into his phones, shoes clacking on the empty sidewalk.

However, that blissful silence was broken by the annoyingly loud and persistent ring of an alarm clock. It was even loud enough for passersby to hear the image-wrecking noise as they looked up with befuddled expressions for where in the world that sound was coming from.

The owner of that particular alarm clock shot up in bed immediately, a stray golden bang slung across her forehead. She was panting from her sudden fright. Realising that it was her alarm, she scowled. Swinging her long bronze legs, clad in a pair of red causal home shorts with a grey singlet to match, she hopped out of bed and raced to her dresser to look at the cursed clock.

"Holy shit! I'm gonna be late!" She exclaimed in surprise, letting out a long stream of obscenities. She hastily grabbed a brush and ran it through her tangled blonde curls, glad that she had already prepared her outfit the night before.

It was a nice light blue blouse with denim jeans and a pair of black converse. Not the most suitable for her job at the hospital that she was about to be late for, but why the heck would she have a nurse's uniform in her closet? She had applied for an internship at Half-blood Hospital. It was second to her choice as an architect, but she figured it would give her better points on her college application. Her father, Frederick Chase had also said something similar.

Even though she had been reluctant to give up an internship for her dream job, she finally cracked after weeks and weeks of begging by her best friend, Thalia Grace, who had applied and gotten into the same internship.

Although, it was surprising that her blue-eyed, black haired friend would apply for something like this. Her personality sure did not suit it. Hell, she was like a bomb on a short fuse. She just hoped Thalia's patients were not the same.

Pushing those delaying thoughts to the back of her mind, she grabbed her grey Kipling sling bag and dashed down the stairs. She burst through the doors of the kitchen and nabbed a piece of toast from her step-brother, Bobby's, plate. "Hey! That's mine! Annabeth!" Much to Bobby's displeasure and Matthew's amusement, she paid no heed to Bobby's shouts of protests and shot like a bullet out the door towards the bus station.

…

Annabeth Chase shaded her eyes as she looked at the imposing building rising from the street before her. Sunlight glinted off its many shining windows, and she spared a moment to be thankful she wasn't in charge of keeping all those panes so spotlessly clean. She could also tell that the architecture was immaculately done. As she neared the entrance, a small chill danced its way up her spine. Something was off, and it was not just because of the fact that she hated hospitals. But for now, she pushed it to the back of her mind.

She tidied her disheveled appearance and shook off the strange feeling of foreboding that had settled in her stomach. There was something that just was not…_right_ about this place. Then, she opened the front door and took her first step into the lobby. The first step of starting her internship.

When she stepped inside, the first thing she saw was a beautiful mahogany desk with papers neatly stacked on top one another with labels to boot and a glittering crystal lamp. She shuddered, imagining the consequences should she accidentally break it. Aiming her sight of vision a little higher, she spotted a young brunette woman sitting behind the desk.

She had previously been speaking with someone else on the telephone. But when she heard the doors opening, she looked up and shot Annabeth a quick smile and a wave towards the seat on her right. Annabeth walked over and took a seat, clutching her hands tightly in her lap. She was fighting, and hopelessly losing, a battle against her nerves.

Annabeth Chase was not a person to get easily nervous or intimidated, but seeing the interior of the building and the lobby, she started to have second thoughts about caving in to Thalia's begging. Damn her cute puppy dog face. Her electric blue eyes just had to be able to turn so soft, didn't they?

"Are you Miss Annabeth Chase? Or are you here for one of the appointment with the doctors?" The older woman's voice startled Annabeth out of the intensive debate in her head. She felt a flush spreading across her cheeks. How embarrassing to have the lady mistake her for a mental patient! "Yes, I'm Annabeth Chase."

It was the lady's turn to blush as she apologised. Then, she said, "Anyway, welcome to Half-Blood Hospital. You should have reported to Chiron five minutes ago." There, she paused and gave Annabeth an impossibly sharp, skeptical look.

Annabeth swore then and there to never be late for this internship ever again.

Thankfully, the lady noticed the cringe on her face and continued on. "Putting that aside, his office is on level thirteen, the highest floor. Take a right and his office is third on the left. Here's your guest pass. Use the lift to reach his office and he will give you your proper pass and equipment. There will also be numerous glass doors and you will need to scan the card to get through. After eight o'clock, there are also guards stationed at the doors on each floor for added security."

With that, she handed me a silver card with a "G" stamped on the top right hand corner and returned to sorting out paperwork even though everything was unnecessarily neat.

Shrugging, she stepped into the lift and through the awaiting doors of the lift. As she waited for the lift to reach her floor, she tapped her foot, listening to the elevator music. It was Burn It Down by Linkin Park. _Not that bad and Thalia would love this_, Annabeth thought. _Although, hospitals would hardly use such a rock song for elevator music. Maybe Thalia bribed the electrician or something. Or maybe she even hooked her iPod to the machine._

Hearing the elevator "ding", Annabeth hurried out and looked at the long line of offices that seemed to go on for eternity. Remembering that she might most likely get fired for being nearly ten minutes late on her first day, she picked up the pace and followed the receptionist's directions.

She stopped in front of a door that was unlike the others, a light brown instead of a dull grey, and a golden nameplate reading "Chiron Brunner". She let out a deep breath and rapped on the door with her knuckle.

Hopefully, she would not get fired. At last that was the worst thing she could do. But on the other hand, it was too late to apply for another internship and she did not like the look of her chances considering that her boss' door looked really important and impressive compared to the others.

"Come in." A low baritone voice said on the other side of the door. When Annabeth walked in, she saw an old man behind the desk with three strangers and Thalia standing in a straight row, two on each side. There was a space in the middle that looked about just her size. The office was humongous! However, it was a no-frill kind of place and there was nothing there for decoration either than things that had actual functions. The only decoration was a roaring fireplace at the side of the room.

Great. So her boss was the practical type.

Thalia shot her a worried smile and a small wave while the others looked curiously at her. Meanwhile, the old man's face remained impassive. Wrinkles were evident on his worn face. He had a full head of white hair and a tiny goatee. His eyes showed years of wisdom, experience and practice.

Annabeth gulped. In her head, her chances were looking worse and worse by the second. Finally, the old man opened his mouth and said, "Hello, Ms Chase. We have been expecting you. Please, come in. We have a few things to discuss."

Damn


	2. Chapter 2: Making Up

**[A/N] Hey guys! Sorry for updating so late, I have been working on my other story, ****_The Princess And Her Serpent_****. Hope you guys read and review for both stories! I don't own Percy Jackson, Rick Riordan does and hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

Chapter 2

Annabeth's heart skipped so many beats that she thought her might stop beating and she might fall to the floor any second as she walked in.

Five pairs of eyes were focused on her and her every step. Their faces showed pity, worry or otherwise in Chiron's case, no emotion whatsoever. A drop of sweat trickled down the side of her face, forming a single rivulet that glistened in the light. There was absolute silence and the only thing that broke it was the sound of Annabeth's shoes connecting with the hard, wooden floor.

When she finally stopped in the space that was supposed to be hers, Chiron gestured for her to move even more forward. She took one step.

Then another. And another.

Until she was standing right in front of his desk and should she have moved any closer, she would have bumped into the desk and possibly fallen down. The ticking of the grandfather clock at the side of the room signalled that time was still moving, even if he room's inhabitants were not.

After what seemed like an eternity, Chiron opened his mouth to speak as Annabeth braced herself for the worst. "Welcome Ms Chase. It is an honour to have you with us." Oh well, she might as well high-tail it out of there now to save her from the embarrassment and- wait. Did he just say what she thought he did?

Chiron noticed her expression as it changed from self-berating to confusion in the mere span of half a minute. Chiron chuckled and smiled, much to the surprise of the five girls. "This hospital is not a normal one as it caters to special ah, 'disabilities' you might say. And when I mean special, I mean the one-in-a-million kind. As far as we know, there is no other hospital like this. In fact, I myself used to be a patient here and one of the powers I have is to see people's true character."

Seeing that his explanation made no sense to the girls as they tried to fit the pieces together to try and fit it into the recent happenings. Some of them even tried to look like it was perfectly normal that they heard such peculiar explanations every day.

Chiron sighed. Those five girls standing in front of him had so much potential but also had a very long way to go.

"What I mean is that this hospital caters to the supernatural. Any one of you who feels freaked right now may leave." All five girls looked nervously at each other but decided to stay with steely determination in their eyes.

Chiron smiled a genuine smile. Something he had not done in a long, long time. "Ok, you have all passed the first test and that was a good thing, considering I would have had to erase your memory should you have refused." The girl on her right gasped.

"Yes, Juniper. We can and we would do that. This is, after all, a hospital. Anyway, you five will be attending to five special patients on the seventh floor. Each one of you will be a personal nurse to one of them but you may help with the others should you choose to or if they are absent. However, your patient will be your primary concern. You will have a one-week trial and that will be your second test. You may be fired at any time but only by me.

"Each patient's behaviour will be colour coded. The information will be in the guidebook I will hand out to you." He shuffled some papers on his desk and Annabeth realised just how messy the office was. Papers were scattered all over the desk and some were even on the floor and the only neat things were the stacks of papers he handed to the five of them. He should really get that receptionist up here.

They were each given a guidebook, a file and a card. Chiron continued, "I trust that the receptionist, Angela, gave you a silver card with the letter 'G' stamped on it? Yes? Good. Those cards are for guests and can only access this floor and the first. There are five levels of access cards in this hospital.

"The lowest is the guest cards, of course. Then there is the card for all the nurses and doctors tending to normal patients which is from levels two to six and the twelfth level which has the canteen and things for the staff. The next is the one I am about to give you. It is able to reach all levels from ten and below. The second best is the one I have which lets me go to any level in the building. And as for the best one… there are only twelve… so you do not need to know about those."

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. Just another thing to add to her suspicions. As she examined her card, she noticed that in contrast to the previous card, this one had a golden "S" in a circle instead of the "G".

Chiron continued, "All particulars of your patient will be in those files, but since you will be working closely with each other, I will give you five minutes to mingle before we head up to meet your patients. Also from now on, I expect you to be punctual from now on." He finished off with a warning glance at Annabeth. Annabeth felt her cheeks flush as she hung her head to avoid the other stares and Chiron's warm gaze.

Almost immediately, Thalia broke away from her place in line and ran in front of Annabeth, her electrifying blue eyes ablaze.

"Annabeth! I thought you were smart! And being fifteen minutes late on your first day is hardly a first good impression! If you were let go then, I would probably have never lasted for an hour even." She whined.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. Her best friend could be such a drama queen sometimes. The other three girls watched in interest, obviously not expecting this turn of events.

Annabeth noticed all the other girls and decided that she did not want to start off on the wrong foot with them. Sticking out her hand, she smiled and said, "Hi. My name is Annabeth Chase. It's nice to meet you." And with that, the five girls exploded into chatter with introductions. Annabeth's smile grew wider. She had finally done something right.

The five girls took turns introducing themselves with Annabeth going first. The information went something like this:

Name: Annabeth Chase  
Age: 16  
Fave hobby: Reading and designing buildings  
Fave colour: Grey and green  
Dream job: Architect  
Why you chose this internship: Easy commute, likes to care for others, best friend and her mutually decided, more like Thalia begged her

Name: Thalia Grace  
Fave hobby: Mixing music, listening to Green Day and Linkin Park, as well as hunting  
Fave colour: Black  
Dream job: Radio DJ  
Why you chose this internship: No idea

Name: Rachel Elizabeth Dare  
Fave hobby: Painting, drawing and helping the community  
Fave colour: Blue  
Dream job: Artist  
Why you chose this internship: Wants to help people

Name: Katie Gardener  
Fave hobby: Gardening (not related to her last name)  
Fave colour: Yellow and green  
Dream job: Florist, horticulturist, or anything related to plants  
Why you chose this internship: People need care like flowers so it will be a good experience

Name: Juniper Green  
Fave hobby: Going to nature rallies  
Fave colour: Green and brown  
Dream job: An ecological scientist  
Why you chose this internship: Wants to try and help understand and relate people

Those introductions seemed to shatter the ice as the gaggle of girls started chatting like there was no tomorrow. Chiron smiled. He was glad that they had clicked so well, unlike the previous hew batches. His expression darkened for a few seconds but he quickly wiped it off of his face. Luckily, none of the girls noticed.

Or so he thought. Annabeth had caught that look on his face. Something was up, she just did not have enough evidence yet. She needed to do more digging.

Chiron had to clap his hands together to get the girls' attention. Clearing his throat, He said, "Come on girls, we don't have all day."

The chatter stopped almost immediately as Rachel curiously asked what else they had to do for the rest of the day. Chiron smiled at her endearing curiosity and said, "We shall get to that later. For now, we have to do one of the most important things. One that might help shape your process in this internship." The tension in the room started to reach new heights as they awaited Chiron's answer.

"You are going to meet your patients for the first time."

**END OF CHAPTER**


	3. Chapter 3: Floor 7

**[A/N] Hey guys! Sorry for late update but things have been really hectic lately with Christmas around the corner and all that. ****Anyway, I don't own Percy Jackson, Rick Riordan does. Please review for both stories! And if I can't update in time, Merry Christmas!**

Chapter 3

After finishing that somewhat dramatic statement, Annabeth expected Chiron to stand up and lead them off to the seventh floor. Much to her surprise, Chiron wheeled himself backwards instead. It turns out that he was in a wheelchair.

Annabeth turned to look at the others and their mouths were forming small 'o's. Apparently from the looks of things, this was a new development. They tried to conceal their emotions but Chiron saw through it easily after years of practice.

Rolling his eyes, he said, "Yes, I am stuck in this bloody wheelchair and I used to be a patient in the regular wards but so what? Now, stop gawking at me and let's get a move on. We're burning daylight here!" With a renewed effort to prove to the girls he was still in good shape, he started to move even faster but with less caution.

As a result, he accidentally bumped into the left side of the doorway. With a grimace, he began to angle himself properly. Feeling guilty, Annabeth stuffed the files and such into her bad and quickened her pace to start pushing Chiron's wheelchair from the back. Chiron shot her a startled glance, but quickly replaced it with a grateful smile as he gestured towards the lifts. Three of the other girls then followed behind them with tension crackling in the air like electricity.

On the other hand, as the last one of them stepped into the lift which was playing twenty one guns by Green Day, she started tapping her foot to the beat. She was blissfully unaware of the atmosphere surrounding Katie, Juniper and Rachel. One could easily guess who this spirited individual was. Chiron chuckled with a bemused smile as Annabeth snorted childishly at her friend's antics. The other three dissolved into heaps of giggles and the tension disappeared as fast as it had come.

The number seven on the panel of buttons started flashing a nice autumn orange as the elevator doors opened with a small 'ding'. They regained their composure and filed out of the lift and nearly immediately came within sight of a glass door. Chiron scanned his card while the girls took in their surroundings.

Everything was a blinding white and the whole place smelled of antiseptic. Annabeth wanted to pinch her nose to avoid smelling the rancid stench but decided not to as she had to push Chiron's wheelchair. Just as they were about to reach four white doors with names written at the side, Chiron began to speak once again.

"These four rooms belong to your five patients. Every nurse will get more detailed information about their patient in their files but for now, I shall merely summarise their illness, behaviour and such. These four patients are very special as they have a rare combination of diseases. Thus, they have to receive special treatment. We get more than these, of course. We only hospitalise the ones who have reacted badly to the treatment or those who have to be under constant professional supervision. Or in other terms, they can't or won't socialise well with the outside world.

"In order to protect their privacy, and that of their families, the patients are known only by their first names. Only the administrator knows all their background information, and it's a good idea to follow a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy around here. Unless, of course, the patient tells you himself. The doctor visits them twice a day, and all you have to do medically is follow any notations that might be on their charts. Other than that, just keep them company, talk to them, play games, if they want and keep them under constant supervision.

"First off are Connor and Travis. They are twin brothers. They have type two diabetes so a prior warning: NEVER give them sugary foods, otherwise it may be fatal. They are also very sneaky pranksters so you have to watch out. Rachel and Katie are going to take care of them.

"Across from them is Grover. You have to take him on a visit by visit basis. One moment, he'll be as calm and in control as you could hope for. Leave the room for five minutes and come back, and you could find a completely different person. Name calling, lewd comments, you name it, he'll do it. Think of a two-year-old's worst temper tantrum that you can imagine, multiply it by a hundred, and you might come close what he's capable of.

"Down the hall is Nico. Here's where you might run into some trouble. He seems to have taken an extreme dislike to the brothers since the day he arrived, and he's been known to start fights with them if he can. Don't blame him though. On his first day, they painted his whole room pink. Took weeks it get it off. We try to keep them separated except when he's in one of his better moods, which doesn't seem to be very often. Expect some hostility from him; he appears to have a problem with the world in general and doesn't mind letting people know about it. He will be in Thalia's care.

"Our last patient is Percy, across the hall from Nico. He's an introvert, hardly acknowledges the outside world at all. Don't be surprised if he doesn't seem to know you're there. He minds his own business and goes about his life as normal but you have to be vigilant around him. He has easily snuck away from some of his other nurses when he wants to. He will be Annabeth's charge.

"I have had you five researched thoroughly and I matched you up to the best of my ability so I don't believe you will have many problems except for the expected rocky start. There are only two other rooms on this floor. The lounge for the patients and the staff room. The head matron of this floor is away so it will be just you five. Feel free to come to ask me any questions but please check your files first. I hate unnecessary questions.

"Scrubs will be found in the staff room on your desks. You shall be expected here at eight on Saturdays and within an hour from the time your school hours end and leave at five and seven respectively. You are free to leave after an hour after interacting with any of the patients you want. Staff facilities are on the twelfth floor and as for all things supernatural, I will leave to you girls to find out." On that ominous note, Chiron rolled away into the lift and was gone.

The five looked at each other, realisation that they had been left to their own bearings finally dawned upon them as their eyes widened in panic. Only Annabeth seemed to be able to keep a cool head. Sighing resignedly, Annabeth walked off towards the staff room. Seconds later, she could hear four other pairs of footsteps following behind her. Coming to a stop in front of a white door with the letter 'S' on it, Annabeth pushed it open.

It. Was. Huge. Separated into six parts, the office radiated professionalism with no unnecessary decorations and such. Each part was five times the size you would expect to see for mere interns. They only slightly varied in size and the biggest was obviously occupied by the head matron.

Looking back, Annabeth smirked as she saw the others gawking at the simplistic but elegant interior of the office. With a few bounding steps, she leisurely bagged the second biggest one which was also the one with the nicest view. She plonked herself down in the cushy sea and sighed. How nice.

As Thalia went to the third biggest one, she shot Annabeth a playful glare. Said girl just grinned from ear-to-ear in response. After everyone had settled down and put on their scrubs, Katie asked a very good question, one that all of them had been wondering. "So how are we going to do this?"

Everyone eventually mutually decided to visit their own patients before coming back to compare notes. Even though the thought that they were treating the patients like an experiment made Annabeth cringe inwardly, she provided no resistance.

Finally, they all left the room, each entering their own patient's rooms. Except for Thalia and Annabeth. Thalia let out a breath. "Nervous?" Annabeth nodded as they looked across the hall at each other. The blue-eyed girl comically held up her fingers for the three to one countdown, much to Annabeth's amusement, but she obliged nonetheless. The girls both opened the doors at the same moment. Annabeth was reluctant to see her patient so she turned back to look at Nico's room.

Big mistake.

Already, the sound of things being thrown across the room, expensive things being smashed and Thalia's startled screeching was resonating throughout the hallway.

Not wanting to see the results if anything came flying out, she quickly stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. With a relieved sigh, she turned to face the bed and directed her gaze upwards, only to meet a pair of jaded green eyes. The most beautiful pair of eyes she had ever seen.

**END OF CHAPTER**


	4. Chapter 4: Meeting The Patient

**[A/N] Hey guys! Looks like I was able to update before Christmas after all! Anyway, I don't own Percy Jackson, Rick Riordan does and hope you guys enjoy this chapter and please review! Merry Christmas!**

Chapter 4

Annabeth's stormy grey eyes watched her patient carefully. A raven haired teenage boy with beautifully glazed sea-green eyes was staring out of the window. Since his eyes were glazed, it was obvious that he was not focusing on anything. Like Chiron said, Annabeth doubted he even knew she had entered the room.

She took a few cautious steps forward, never taking her eyes off of him. "Percy?" she let out, her voice merely a whisper. The introvert paid her no heed. Annabeth frowned. Did he not hear her? Or was he ignoring her and pretending he had not. She repeated his name as her voice rose a few notches higher. Still no reply. Guess what Chiron said was true, she thought.

Annabeth sat down on the visitor's chair and took her time examining the boy. Even though his eyes were sunken and his cheeks were hollow, he still looked remarkably handsome. If he were healthier, dare Annabeth say he was more handsome than her ex-boyfriend, Luke?

Five minutes passed and there was still no sign of any response coming from Percy. Letting out a sigh, Annabeth took out the files that Chiron had given her.

…Annabeth's P.O.V…

Patient Information

Name: Percy  
Patient number: 7D  
Birthday: August 18, 1995  
Description: Black hair and green eyes  
Extent of powers: Unknown  
Illness: Unknown. So far, subject has coughed out blood on several occasions as well as crying out in pain at random.  
Overall behaviour: Grey  
Behaviour: Refuses to accept human interaction after undergoing treatment. So far, has only been seen nodding at Grover (patient 7B)'s words and has a calming effect on patient 7B. Has been known to disappear on occasion. Also takes a shine to all things water-related.  
Family members: Not advisable to be contacted

Notes for carer: Notify doctors immediately if patient displays odd behaviour not mentioned above or coughs out blood or cries in pain. Also make sure he is present for doctor's visits at 11am and 4.30pm and that he is not under intense heat where he is prone to collapse.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up. So basically, he's sixteen years old, birthday is on August 18th. Extent of powers unknown? So they just locked me in with a guy who potentially has the power to be the text Hilter? Illness is unknown. Must be a new thing for them to not have cracked it considering how far along medicine is these days.

Hmm… gray? I made a mental note to check up on that later. And it seems that he likes Grover and keeps him in check. Should let Juniper know if Grover gets too much for her to handle. But the thing that puzzled me the most was that his family was not advisable to be contacted. What kind of family did he have if they were not even willing to be contacted if Percy was even on the brink of death? So the instructions on how to take care of him was clear but the way Percy did not seem to care about anything. Was it possible that the reason was the lack of people to care for him?

I tore my focus from the file and all the thoughts swirling around my head like a mini-tornado to look back up at the introvert. That would have been one of the most normal things to happen to me today. The only problem?

He was nowhere to be seen. The door was wide open and the sheets were tossed to the floor. It did not take a genius to put two and two together.

My eyes widened in disbelief. He was just here a mere minute ago! Chiron's words echoed in my head like one of those annoyingly catchy songs that you can't seem to forget no matter how hard you tried. _He minds his own business and goes about his life as normal but you have to be vigilant around him. He has easily snuck away from some of his other nurses when he wants to._

How great. My first day and my second mistake in under half an hour. Whoop-dee-doo. The fates just love me so much, don't they? Groaning inwardly, I burst out of the room and ran through the halls.

On my way, I could hear Katie and Rachel screaming something like, "Get your stinkin' hands off of our purses!" and "Hey! Give me back my cand- woah. Back off of the lamp!" I could not tell which scream belonged to which girl, but what I could tell was that both girls were piping mad. Crashing noises from Nico's room had ceased and were replaced of two people of the opposite gender screaming their lungs off with something similar coming from Grover's room.

I sighed. At this rate, we really had our work cut out for us. I was so absorbed in my own thoughts that I nearly crashed into the glass door. Hurriedly, I tried to skid to a stop but I was going too fast. Luckily, I had just enough time to slap the button that opened the door.

My lack of preparation caused me to swerve drastically to avoid a wall and fall onto the lift floor just as they closed and started to move downwards. Thus, the only occupant of the lift banged her poor head on the bar, giving her a splitting headache. As the lift doors opened, Angela the receptionist did nothing to conceal her shock at seeing me sprawled out in all directions on the lift floor.

Regaining my bearings, we stared at each other before I broke away, looking down at my dishevelled figure. I hastily stood up and gave her a stiff nod before walking out of the lift doors and into the lobby with as much dignity I could recover.

Angela gave me one last weird look before stepping into the lift and punching the number twelve. As the lift doors closed, I let out a sigh and slumped on the chair that I had previously sat on and closed my eyes. How had everything gone so, so wrong in such a short time?

Just then, I heard a shuffling noise the lift doors opened once more and the blistering heat of the afternoon sun flowed in through the doors. Growling, I opened an eye and caught a glimpse of familiar black hair as it's owner strode out of the lobby. I closed my eyes and resumed my brooding.

That hair. It was so much like Percy's. As that last thought sank in, my eyes snapped open and I shot up and out of my seat. I swivelled my head at the closing doors. Could that have been the person I have been looking for?

In another context, that would have sounded so weird. But now is not the time to be thinking the way Thalia does. Percy was prone to collapse under intense heat and that could be fatal in his condition.

…Third person P.O.V…

Dashing out of the lobby doors, Annabeth felt the heat of the sun's rays beating down on her and a slight sheen of sweat already starting to form on her cheeks. She looked around for any signs of people passing through. Much to her chagrin, everything was intact. There was no soil so she could not depend on footprints. The green grass was fully intact and not flattened so he could not have passed through there. As much underweight as he was, Percy would still definitely have made crushed a few blades of grass. Scanning the area around her once more, she caught sight of a trail of stones that looked moist. Possibly with sweat from walking on them bare-footed!

Feeling a sense of triumph, Annabeth followed the trail, occasionally stopping to look behind her if she had accidentally missed something that might give her a clue as to where her missing charge was.

After a short while, the trail came to an end, only to stop at the edge of a pond. Annabeth gasped at the breath-taking scene before her. It was like a picture out of a fairy tale. The pond itself was not very big; only having a mere three-metre radius, but it was the things around it that made it exceptional. Also, the water was a glittering green, which was strange considering most ponds had murky brown contents instead.

The grass around it glittered with a little lasting morning dew and was littered with simple but a wide array of flowers. Roses, daisies, tulips. Those were just some of the types. There was also a tall willow tree with it's leaves grazing the water's surface. To top it all off, there was a handsome boy sleeping under the shade of the tree, his head lolling to one side. He looked so peaceful that Annabeth almost did not want to bring him back up. Almost.

With much reluctance, Annabeth strode over towards him and tapped him lightly on the shoulder. Immediately, the boy opened an eye lazily. As soon as he saw her, surprise glimmered in his eye but was gone as fast as it had come. He let out a small grunt and pulled himself upwards, swaying on his feet as the effects of staying out so long started to get to him.

Annabeth then rushed over towards him and helped steady him as he let her guide him back to his room.

…Percy's P.O.V…

Well, this is new. Never before has a nurse been able to find my hiding place. She's an interesting one. Maybe I'll ask Chiron to let her be my nurse and see where this goes.

But, you know, it's scary. No one has even come close to finding me when I don't want to be found. Maybe, just maybe, she will be the one. The one that I will fully trust. One that won't betray me. Gods know I haven't had one of those in a long while. If I ever did. Heck, even my mother abandoned me in this crap hell of a place. My father left us when I was seven so I guess I have trust issues. Yes, I fully admit it.

But even so, who am I to kid myself? The dozens of nurses that have passed through here have all failed. Except for her. She was the one that came and the one I entrusted all my secrets to. And she betrayed me as well in the end.

So how will I know that this one won't do the same?

**END OF CHAPTER**


	5. Chapter 5: Tactics

**[A/N] Hey guys! Here's your new chapter and I don't own Percy Jackson, Rick Riordan does. Anyway, I hope you guys had a nice Christmas and got some gifts too. I got a Camp Half-blood t-shirt! Yay! Hope you guys enjoy this chapter and please review!**

**P.S To all my reviewers that are asking questions: all shall be revealed in time…**

Chapter 5

Annabeth had been given the week off from school like the others to get used to the internship, so she decided to go to there as per the Saturday timing. Thus, she woke up bright and early at seven in the morning. Since she had left her scrubs on her desk, she walked down the stairs and into the kitchen wearing an outfit similar to the day before's, just with different colours.

When she arrived in the kitchen, she was not surprised to see her brothers and father at the table with her step-mother cooking bacon and eggs. With the delicious smell wafting into her nostrils, Annabeth automatically sat herself down across from her father who was researching machinery from World War two.

Just as her step-mother, Susan, placed a serving of food in front of her with a smile, Annabeth felt her phone in her pocket let out a familiar chime. She needed not check who the sender was as it was Thalia's special ringtone: one that sounded like she had been zapped.

From: Thalia Grace

To: Annabeth Chase

Don't b late again, Owl. Chiron ain't gonna take it easy on u if yr late again. ;)

With a roll of her eyes, Annabeth quickly replied, her thumbs flying across the screen in rapid succession, assuring Thalia that she would be punctual this time. Her train of thought was interrupted by Susan asking exasperatedly, "Do you kids have to be on your electronics all the time?" Annabeth looked up to see the source of her frustrations. Bobby and Matthew had been so engrossed in their DS that when Matthew had tried to eat a piece of bacon, he dropped it and it splattered onto the device, trails of sticky and greasy oil already making its way down the screen.

Sticking out his tongue in disgust, Bobby answered for them, "Yes, mom. We do. But what about dad? He is way worse than us!" Four pairs of eyes turned to look at Frederick Chase, who displayed no signs of hearing a single word of the conversation. Susan sighed resignedly. "I gave up on your dad a long time ago, kids. Watch."

"Honey, I'm pregnant." No answer.

"Dad, Bobby and I are drug addicts." No reply.

"Dad, Matthew and I are pregnant drug addicts." Not a word.

And then, Frederick looked up. "Did I miss something?" Annabeth shook her head and sighed. So sad. The twins shot a triumphant look at their mother while Annabeth sighed inwardly as she tucked her phone into her bag.

She had been watching the whole progression in an amused silence. She sometimes felt so left out in this family. It was like they were all quarters and the four of them had already formed a complete circle while she was completely left out. Things had never been the same since her mother left. Her real mother. Not wanting to be sucked into any more family propaganda, she stuffed her face with food, said a muffled goodbye and grabbed her bag, heading to catch the bus.

Sitting herself on a cushy green seat on the bus that vaguely reminded her of a certain someone, Annabeth reminisced about what happened yesterday after she had gotten Percy back to his room. As planned, they had all met in the staff room at the appointed time. However, none of them were quite in the mood to go over what had happened in the rooms. Evidence that it had not gone as well as planned was evident once you looked at the state they were in.

Thalia already had a blue black forming fast on her left shoulder as well as several lacerations all across her body, her scrubs even having a small tear on the right side. Katie and Rachel looked no better with them looking wildly all round and clutching their bags with a vice-like grip. They were drenched from head to toe and were shaking furiously in the air-conditioned room. Annabeth herself was covered in dirt, grime and sweat from her adventure of playing Sherlock Homes to look for Percy. To top it all off, she had a bump on her head where her head had collided with the lift floors. All in all, Juniper was the best off out of all of them, physically, that is.

Emotionally, she was a wreck. Quivering like an aspen leaf with her face rivalling Snow White's, she looked the most traumatised from the experience out of all of them. When they had all gotten a good look at each other, they came to a silent conclusion: they would discuss things tomorrow. Which happened to be that day.

As the bus came to a smooth stop, Annabeth hastily scanned her card and hopped off. Right next to the building, she saw a small bookstore. Remembering that Percy like water-related things, she picked up a few magazines and books about marine life for him to read. Carrying her purchases, she bid farewell to the friendly cashier and strode into the lobby and soon after, into the lift to the seventh floor where hopefully, the other girls were waiting for her.

…

When she reached the seventh floor, she quickly strode into the staff room. Clocking in, she noticed the time was seven forty –five. Fifteen minutes to spare, she thought happily. She then placed the reading materials on her table and put on her scrubs before peeking over the walls into the other office cubicles. Four of them were empty while Thalia's one had the other four girls there, all seriously talking. Fortunately, unlike the day before, they looked alright apart from a few scars on Thalia's part.

Walking over, she casually waved and greeted them. Once the other girls noticed her, Thalia smiled then frowned. "Well, it looks like we all had the same ideas. So how was it yesterday for you guys?"

Immediately, Rachel and Katie started ranting on hoe the Stolls had managed to prank them a grand total of five times each in just an hour. Their purses had been stolen and cleaned of candy, drenched from head to toe in chilly water, tied onto chairs and so, so much more. Meanwhile, Juniper said nothing but quivered slightly. Annabeth and Thalia shared a look, the same thought going on in both of their minds; they were going to have their work cut out for them.

Sighing, Annabeth clapped her hand loudly twice. Immediately, the three girls calmed down and stood to attention. "Ok, from what we know, this will not be easy. But since when has life ever been that way? We have to persevere as we cannot let those boys beat us! Imagine how gratifying it will feel if we manage to do what no other nurses have done so far and cure them! So, let's get down to business. Either than their appalling behaviour, what have we learned so far?"

The others stared at her. Annabeth shifted from one foot to the other uneasily. Had she said something wrong? Or had she suddenly sprouted a pair of wings unknowingly? Maybe she suddenly turned invisible? After all, this hospital did cater to the supernatural so anything could happen.

Seconds ticked by as Annabeth found her nervousness mounting. Finally, Juniper broke the silence. "Have you ever thought about becoming a politician?" Annabeth blinked. Then she burst into fits of laughter and the other girls were not far behind her. Wiping crystals of laughter from her eyes, she gestured for the girls to sit down and they began talking.

After discussing their patients' behaviour so far, Katie pointed out the question they had all been wondering. "But why are all their families 'not advisable to be contacted'? And the colour-coded behaviour? Has anyone figured those out yet?" Rachel replied, "Here's the chart. I found it slotted in one of the files. But as for the families… I have no idea." Annabeth, Thalia, Katie and Juniper all crowded around the sheet of paper.

Behaviour codes (from best to worst):

Pink- displays active and positive behaviour around others. Shows they may be ready to be discharged as long as their conditions are stable enough  
Brown- displays positive but quiet behaviour  
Grey- displays very little to no reactions to human interaction  
Orange- displays sadistic or masochistic behaviour  
Red- displays violence or is prone to lash out verbally or physically. Needs to be kept under constant supervision and no visitors allowed.

(Patient may have various colours if they have constant mood swings)

After reading the notes, the girls thought everything made more sense. Travis and Connor were orange since they were enjoying the pain they cause through their pranks. Grover had red, orange and pink to represent his ever-changing mood swings. Nico had red and needed no explanation while Percy had grey as he barely interacted with anyone.

Even if they could understand the behaviour codes now, they were still puzzled as to why their family members were to remain not contacted. Speaking of which, were the residents of the seventh floor even allowed to have visitors? While they were busy thinking, the cuckoo clock hanging on the wall in the staff room chimed eight O' clock. Bidding farewell to each other, the five girls went their separate ways, ready for whatever the day would bring them, even if they were frightened more than a little.

Carrying the bad of things to Percy's room, Annabeth used her back to push it open and stepped inside. Since the bag blocked her view of her patient, she did not see his eyes widen in surprise as she placed them on the bedside table. Smiling brightly, she said, "Do you want me to read them to you or do you want to read them yourself?" Since she had been expecting this, Annabeth did not let it bring her down. Acting as though he had voiced an opinion, she kept up her one sided conversation. "Okay, then. Reading to you it is. Let's start with this, shall we?"

…Percy's P.O.V…

Well, it looks like she came back. At least she did, unlike some of the others. I watched her read a magazine about one of my favourite animals, dolphins. I kept listening to her and subconciously absorbed some of the information. Her attitude, the tone she uses with me, the effort she puts in. It's all different. And frustratingly confusing.

Humans are selfish creatures. Most of them want the things they don't have and only do things if they profit themselves. Yet, this one puts in so much effort for something that won't benefit her much. If she did not want to, she could have easily quit and apply for a new internship. So, why? Why is she doing all this? Does she actually care? Or does she really want a good review that badly? I sincerely hope for the former.

But the thing that puzzles me the most; what was a kind and caring girl like this one working in a place like this?

**END OF CHAPTER**


	6. Chapter 6: An Accidental Miracle?

**[A/N] Hey guys. It really hurts me to say this but this may be the last update in a long, long while. *Sobs miserably* I have three days left until school starts and I may not have time to update with all the preparing and whatnot. I may be able to sneak one in though so keep a look out. But, no promises!**

**I'm not Rick Riordan so nuff said about that. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter and please review! I love reviews! 3**

Chapter 6

That Tuesday passed much excitement for Annabeth. Just like the previous day, it had started out normally. Sadly, she grew overconfident and eventually let her guard down which was a really big mistake. She had read the books and magazines to Percy for a couple of hours and stopped for lunch at about one after making sure his door was locked. Much to her surprise and chagrin, he was once again missing when she returned less than a half hour later. In fact, she would not have expected there to be a patient residing in the room apart from the fact that she already knew beforehand.

The bed was impeccably made, everything was put into place as it should be and there was no sign of the missing raven haired boy anywhere that she could see. Even the reading materials were sitting in a neat pile on the bedside table so Annabeth knew Percy had moved them, maybe even possibly read them.

She was sure that she had locked the door and there was no other way out of the room. The bathroom was completely sealed off from the outside so he could have only escaped from this room. But was he tricking her? He could have made those things as a decoy to set her off on a wild goose chase.

However, she quickly vetoed the idea. For the past one and a half days, she had been observing Percy carefully. He had no ambition to be a troublemaker and she was sure of it.

When she had looked into his eyes, she saw many emotions but mischief was not one of them. Percy seemed sad, lonely and had all his walls up. Considering the family not advised to be contacted thing, she could not really blame him. There was no telling what horrible past he could be hiding from her. If she were him, this was the kind of thing she would want to keep to herself too. Focusing on the matter at hand, she did not really see how he could break out so successfully without leaving a trace.

Unless… the window, she thought incredulously. But they were on the bloody seventh floor! She raced to the window and saw a tiny crack of an opening. So he had gone through this way! She pushed open the window and leaned out much farther than she should. Scanning the ground below, she saw the missing person sitting underneath the tree and taking a nap. She could not see the raven hair but she did not expect anyone else to be loitering around there.

She leant out and hollered, "Percy! What are you doing?" Apparently, she shouted loud enough to hear her as he woke up from his nap and looked around confusedly for the source of the noise. Not expecting the source to be so high up, he walked out from the shade of the tree to look around curiously.

Annabeth growled and continued, "Look up here!" Now half of her body was out the window and she was starting to grow impatient. When Percy looked up at Annabeth, his sea-green eyes snapped to focus and were no longer jaded or glazed. They widened and he was panicking endlessly on the inside. Just how stupid was this girl? Did she realise how precariously balanced she was?

He shook his head feverently to signal for her to get back inside the room. Annabeth narrowed her eyes, taking that as a signal of him refusing to return to the ward. Scowling, she leant out further and was about to shout something down to him. His disappearing acts were really starting to get to her and she was nearly at her limit.

Not realising she was so far out the window, she pushed herself a little too far and promptly fell out and plummeted straight down towards the ground.

…Piper's P.O.V…

For me, it was a normal day. I was working at my job which I have had since who knows how long although I am assuming three years now. My patient, who was also my boyfriend, was chatting happily to me as per our routine of so long. Jason had shining blonde hair and startling blue eyes along with a small scar on his lip which he told me came from trying to eat a stapler when he was two. I nearly died of laughter when I heard the story.

And Jason's reaction was hilarious too. He was stuttering and blushing which was also one of the only times I have seen him frazzled. As for the other times… those I shall not mention.

Jason was hospitalised about the time I started work so he was assigned as my patient. He is the same age as me and he was even an old classmate from school. Sadly, he could not remember me as he was hospitalised due to a severe concussion and suffered from amnesia. In fact, we used to be best friends but we lost touch after a while so it stung when he could not remember me. But even so, I helped him regain his memories as no one came to claim him which saddened me since Jason was such a great guy. We fell in love about a year after I started taking care of him. Things have been going great ever since and he even regained some of his memories but not all of them.

So anyway, we were having a regular conversation with me sitting on the window ledge and him on the bed. It started when I asked Jason the regular question about whether he could remember his family or not. Usually, he would shake his head sheepishly and say no. When he did not reply I thought he had finally remembered something since sometimes he blacked out and something would come to him.

However, he remained conscious and his only reaction was to lift up his arm and stare flabbergasted at something while pointing. Along with that, he said, "Girl." It seemed that was the limit of his vocabulary at the moment. Sighing resignedly, I said, "Yes, Jason. I am a girl. Haven't we been over this already?"

Shaking his head, he repeated himself more forcefully and I realised he was pointing to something behind me. Whirling around, I nearly got a heart attack when I saw a blonde grey-eyed girl wearing scrubs hanging from the ledge of this floor which was the third.

All I could do was stare and gape. What in the world was she doing there? I snapped out of it when Jason told me to help her. Nodding, I lifted up the window and tried to help her, but for some reason, she shook her head and kept saying no repeatedly. Confusedly, I opened the window and the side slammed into her, knocking the wind out of her and causing her to lose her grip on the ledge and fall.

My eyes widened and my face paled as I stood rooted to the spot. Did I just kill her? I started to hyperventilate and felt faint. Jason threw off the covers and led me by the elbow gently out the door so that we could check on that poor, poor girl that I possibly just sent to her death.

…Annabeth's P.O.V…

I let out a sigh of relief as I managed to grab hold of the third floor ledge before I hit the ground. It was by pure luck that I managed to get hold of it. Looking down, I noticed Percy standing and waving his arms frantically in the air. I let out a shaky laugh. I also noticed how much longer the drop to the ground seemed.

I wanted to wipe my sweaty palms on my pants or something but I couldn't really spare either one considering the precarious situation I was in. Looking into the window just blow the ledge of which I was clinging onto literally for dear life, I saw a nurse and her patient talking happily. I sure wished Percy and I could be like that. But first, I would have to break down his walls.

The blonde patient was the first one to notice me. He had military cut blonde hair and a scar at the corner of his lip. His electric blue eyes that strangely reminded me of Thalia's were wide as he said something to the girl who did not turn around at first but did the second time. If I was not the one that was possibly about to fall to my death, her expression would have been comical. But then again, most situations like this are the ones that are somewhat funny when you look back on them. However, this one was still in progress and I had no idea if I would even live to tell the tale.

The blonde shouted something that I could not really make out at her and she snapped to and began to open the window. I tried to warn her not to as I knew at that angle, the window would surely hit me. Frustratingly, she only appeared confused and opened the window. I braced myself for the impact but that was no help as the stinging pain shot through my left side and I let go involuntarily. I thought this was about to be my end as I fell through the air, seemingly in slow motion as a prayer made its way through my mind.

"DeargodI'msorryforallthesinsandcrimes Ihavecommittedinmylife. Ifyoujustletmesurvivethisone fallIwilbeforevergratefuland turnoveranewleaf. Iwillgiveanewmeaningtothewor dsaintandnevermakefunofmyste p-familyeveragainandIpromiseto putevenmoreeffortintobeingni cetoeveryoneanddoingwellinsc hool. ImayevenreconcilewithLukeify ouhelpmejustonemoretimesogod pleaseletmesurvive. Sendmeaguardianangelorwhatev erjustplease. Amen."

It amazed me as to how much could go through my mind in those few last seconds but I guess it was the same as the phrase "Your life flashes before your eyes". So all I did was close my eyes and prepare myself for a really painful death. But it never came.

Instead, I felt two warm, sturdy things catch me and support me. They levitated towards the ground slightly at the sudden increase in weight but then rightened themselves and pulled me to something really hard that was broad enough for it to reach from my shoulders to my waist.

Confusedly, I opened my eyes and they stared straight into a pair of sea-green ones filled with concern. Then I heard a soft but powerful voice that could rival any male singer's. It was beautiful and quite possibly the nicest thing I have ever heard by far even if it only lasted for four words. One of them was my name and it was wonderful to hear it roll off whoever's tongue it was.

"Are you okay, Annabeth?

**END OF CHAPTER**

**Yeah, yeah. I know I'm evil. ;)**


	7. Chapter 7: His Dark Side?

**[A/N] Ohmygosh guys it's been so long! I have so little time on my hands so I haven't been able to update at all! I'm so sorry! Please don't stop reading, following or reviewing! I love you guys so much… No flames please and hope you all enjoy this chapter and good luck for school!**

**I'm not Rick Riordan. No need to go on.**

Chapter 7

…Annabeth's P.O.V…

Percy.

If coming close to death was all it took to hear that voice, I would do it again and again until I actually, you know, die from my attempts. Seriously. At one point in time, I thought that the reason Percy refused to talk was because the treatment affected his vocals in some way. Turns out I was wrong.

So, so wrong. Hell, could my guess fall any further from the tree?

Maybe it wasn't Percy at all. So, stupid me who was caught up in her thoughts was too flabbergasted to speak so I lay in his arms gaping like a goldfish. In the arms of the person _I_ was supposed to be taking care of. Not the other way around.

When he received silence as a reply, his eyebrows furrowed and his mouth started to curve downwards into a frown. You know, when Percy was thinking hard, he didn't look half bad at all. Caught up in my thoughts, I only realised that he was doing something when he swung me over his shoulder in a fireman lift. How can a guy be a bag of bones yet be so strong? And I could feel my knees hitting against something hard with every step Percy took. And as they moved around -holy shit. Was that an eight-pack? Even Luke only had six.

Shaking my head to rid the unpleasant memories that last memory brought, I spoke softly, hesitant as I was actually quite comfortable from my perch. "Please put me down…" Percy stopped in his tracks. He let me slide off by bending over and then repeated his question. My eyes widened to the size of saucers. "You… you spoke?" A flash of understanding flashed in his enchanting eyes and he clammed up, mouth tight as he swivelled around and began to walk away. I really was making many stupid mistakes today, wasn't I?

I ran in front of him and stopped him from moving any further by barricading him from his path. He scowled, his eyes turning an unsettling green and he tried to move past, but I was not going to let him. I'll be damned if I did. He tried for a few minutes. He feinted a few times but I always saw through it and foiled his plans. It was a repetitive cycle that we were both getting sick of fast.

Finally, Percy had had enough. "What are you doing, woman? I save your life and now you want to bother me more? Just what the hell is going on up in your head behind those blonde curls?" he barked harshly. I felt somewhat insulted but the thought that Percy looked hot while being mad overruled anything else at that moment. "Well?" he asked impatiently, running a hand through his raven hair. I looked up at him, eyes blazing with intensity new to even me as he himself looked startled too.

I asked in a low voice, "How did you get out of the seventh floor window? The door was locked when I went in so don't say you came out through the door like a normal person would."

This was one question he did not know how to answer. I could see the gears turning in his head as he scrambled to find a decent answer.

Finally, he decided on an answer which unfortunately for me, explained little to nothing. "It's none of your business what I do. Stay out of my way. You are just like the rest who want to change me. But, you know what? It will not work so leave me alone. If you want, I'll tell Chiron to pass you with flying colours? But in return, you leave me alone. You won't even need to come in. At all. In fact, never come back. What a great deal, huh?"

I could feel the burning anger inside of me. It was raging and wanting to be let out. I pinched the bridge of my nose and counted to ten slowly. Did he really think that little of me? I want to work for my rewards. Otherwise, they mean nothing to me.

"You sir, are despicable." I hissed. "…Excuse me?" he asked slowly with a warning evident in his voice. "You have no right to treat me like that. I want to work for my share and not just have them handed to me on a platter. What you do IS my business because if you have not gotten the concept; I. Am. Your. Bloody. Nurse. So, deal with it. And change you? Why would I want to do that?" His walls were up. This was not good.

Percy's hands balled into fists and I could hear him gritting his teeth. All of a sudden, the air around me went up by about five degrees. On top of the already sweltering hot day, it was really irritating. Well, so much for the moment where patient opens up to nurse wholeheartedly and everything is skip happy. Great.

If someone bottled up my luck, it could be contending for the country's next secret nuclear weapon.

Percy took an angry step towards me. Weak as he was, I knew he could be dangerous if he wanted to be. He could easily carry me with one hand and was also taller than me so it helped with the intimidation. I instinctively took one step back with my heart hammering in my chest and promptly fell into a large puddle.

With a loud yelp, I fell backwards, arms futilely flailing in the air as I fell into the puddle backside first. I shuddered as I felt the cold, muddy water seep through my scrubs and jeans. I looked around me and saw that there were many small puddles littering the ground. It was strange that I had failed to notice those before as I was usually quite observant. I also saw a hand reach out to me and as I aimed my gaze higher, I saw the pair of familiar green eyes back to their original, comforting colour. With much reluctance, I reached out and grabbed his hand to yank myself back up with a grunt.

As I stood up, I felt the cold water dripping down my legs and shivered. This only served to further fuel my anger. Snapping my head up to meet Percy's eyes, I glared furiously at Percy, my eyes practically boring into him.

As I saw a chill go down his spine, I smiled inwardly. Good. Now I can start ranting.

I took a deep breath and hollered, "What crap are you trying to feed me? Well, it's not working! One minute you're all caring and nice but the next you are all angry and snappish. Well, sorry but you are my patient so forgive me for caring for your well-being! Do you have bi-polar disorder or something too?"

As I ranted on and on about some useless crap that I couldn't be bothered to think about, I was satisfied as Percy's face grew paler and paler until it was nearly translucent. His eyes widened in surprise after the third sentence and for some reason, he was gaping at me like a goldfish as if he had no idea what I was talking about. See? A three-second memory just like a goldfish. How nice. My patient was cold-blooded.

"-and so you can take those words of yours and stuff them up you as-" "Wait. What are you talking about?" His words cut me short. I stared at him in disbelief as his expression mirrored mine. What the bloody fuck was going on here?

My eyes blazed and with my nostrils flaring, I wanted to start cursing with language that would have made a gangster blush but was sadly interrupted by the nurse I had seen while I was hanging from the window and her patient. Dang. Just when I was getting in the groove.

Never mind, though. I'll get him later.

When the pretty brunette saw me, her eyes widened as she threw her arms around my neck and hugged me. Startled, I staggered backwards and as I struggled to keep us both upright, she began wailing, "I'm so sorry! I thought I had killed you! I thought when you fell, you were done for! Please forgive me! Math has never been my best subject so I couldn't calculate the trajectory or whatever! I'm so happy you are alive!" As she said this, she also began tearing and thus stained the clean part of my scrubs with her salty tears.

Was it me, or was the whole world out to ruin the scrubs I have to pay for to replace, huh? You tell me.

Fortunately, the blonde patient gently pried her off of me. Weird. His eyes really did remind me of Thalia's. And also, he called her Piper so I guess that was her name. Sniffling, she calmed herself down and wiped away a few stray tears. "Sorry… I just thought I killed you back there…" I constantly reassured her that I was fine as she apologised profusely.

During this time, Percy and Jason were happily conversing. Well, it was more like Jason was talking and Percy was listening with a curiously tranquil look on his face. Seriously, just who was this guy? Anyway, the four of us introduced ourselves and we got on famously if I do say so myself.

They both had a nice sense of humour and were nice and friendly. My opinion on this place just got a little better. Unfortunately, during our slightly heated debate on which food tasted the worst in the cafeteria (I don't even know how it got to that point), Chiron arrived. It was like he appeared out of nowhere. The four of us jumped spontaneously when we noticed his presence and Piper even let out a small squeal.

In a serene voice, he said, "Piper McLean and Jason; how lovely to see you chatting with one of our newest nurses and her patient. Could you please bring him to the front desk? Angela will lead him back to his room. As for Annabeth, please come to my office. We have some, ah, business to discuss. Now." His voice hardened on the last word. He whirled around and disappeared around the corner.

Strangely, when the four of us followed behind him, he was gone. Not even the sign of the glass doors closing. First, we dropped Percy off with Angela and he shot me a pleading smile that nearly made my heart break in two. The tense silence in the lift made me want my lunch to come back up. The churning became worse when Piper and Jason left at their floor, shooting me sympathetic smiles.

And then it hit me; two mistakes in less than thirty six hours. Am I going to be fired?

…Percy's P.O.V…

Damn. I got Annabeth in trouble. Who knew she would fall out of the seventh floor window? I did not see that coming. But I'm worried. There was a period of time that I couldn't remember anything. And I guess that's why Annabeth thinks I am bi-polar.

I hope she's not angry at me. And that she will not be fired. Arghh. That stupid medicine did this. I pray it does not happen again.

Because who knows what the other me will do next time?

**END OF CHAPTER**

**P.S Sorry for being so evil. Next update should come during Chinese New Year. Please review and I'm sorry for being so busy too! :'(**


	8. Chapter 8: What The Hell

**[A/N] Hey guys! Sorry for the uber late update but school is so hectic. Tests every week, piles of homework, not enough time. I'm sure you guys have been there too. So, hope you enjoy this chapter, I do not ownPercy Jackson and please review!**

Chapter 8

…Annabeth's P.O.V…

Have you ever had the feeling that you wanted to be anywhere else in the world? Whether it be smack dab in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean or trapped in a ravine with crocodiles? Yeah, then you might be close to half of what I felt at that moment.

I am Annabeth Chase. The one that has never had a single blemish on my immaculate record, the one who never makes mistakes, and certainly not the one who gets herself potentially fired in a week. So how the bloody hell did this shit happen?

I found myself standing in the middle of Chiron's office with the previous comfy chairs nowhere to be seen. Shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot under Chiron's intense gaze, I lowered my sight to the floor. After an agonising few minutes, he finally said, "Annabeth… This is not very good behaviour. Two mistakes in two days. That must be a new record for a nurse.

"You do realise that you are already on probation, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"And that I should have fired you by now?"

"…Yes, sir…"

"But I'm not going to."

"Ye… wait what?"

Sighing, the aged man took off his reading glasses and set them on his desk. "Annabeth… I have been working as a head-hunter for years and so far I have yet to be wrong. I believe that you are fully capable of passing this internship with flying colours. But you need to work for it.

"I shall give you one last chance. Read through the guidebook thoroughly and memorise it. I expect you to follow every rule in there for as long as you work here. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir! Thank you very much." I nearly elatedly shouted.

A smile blossomed on Chiron's face as the man started to roll across the room on his wheelchair. "Mr Brunner, sir. Where are you going?"

"I am going to get you the guidebook. Please wait here while I try to get that insufferable copier to work." I could only sigh in relief as she watched the man exit the room. I had been lucky this time, that was for sure. Things could have easily gone very differently for the worse.

I turned to his desk with all the loose papers and empty files scattered across in a tidy fashion. Maybe because he was so kind to me, I would help him organise his desk. I walked behind it and separated everything neatly into piles quite quickly.

What can I say? I hate messes.

Although, as I sifted through the papers, I saw that some of the titles were really weird. Stuff like "Bionic Test Results" and "Effects of New Experiments" nearly jumped right at me. Something here was just not right. Puzzled and intrigued, I doubled my speed until I saw something a small booklet coloured pink and had ink trails in red marker all over it. Immediately, I opened it up and flipped a couple of pages. It turned out to be a copy of the employee handbook… but different. As the gears in my memory turned, I realised that some of the rules were nearly the complete opposite of what had been given to me previously. And as I reached the middle, out dropped two more books; one green-coloured and the other yellow. Could they be different editions? Maybe the ones with all the mistakes fixed and editing inputted?

Just as I was about to start rifling through them as well, I heard the sound of the door opening. Thank the genius who made scrubs with big pockets. Stuffing the booklets inside I returned to the middle of the room and pretended I had been staring at the interesting design of starry wallpaper on the ceiling.

He gave me a kindly smile as he rolled back to his desk and placed a green booklet like the one I had nabbed. My hands in my scrub pockets turned clammy as he watched me. Usually, I was a decent liar, but that was a call way too close for comfort. With my hand shaking ever, so slightly that it was nearly invisible to the naked eye, I quickly took it, murmured a thanks and rushed out the door.

And yet, I could feel his scrutinising gaze boring into my skull like the drills from the movie Armageddon. Interesting fact; that movie has at least 168 inaccuracies and is used in the NASA training programme.

Wow… WAY off topic.

So, anyway, I had been lucky this time. Walking back to the office with booklets in my pocket, I walked into my section and frankly got the shock of the century. All four of my dear fellow co-workers burst out from either under my table or behind my chair. Everyone started talking at once and I found myself quickly getting a headache.

"You idiot! And here I thought you were smarter, Annie!" Well, that was obviously Thalia.

"Ohmygod Annabeth what happened?" Probably the most sensible question.

"Did you get fired?"

"Piper told me everything!" That was the comment that confused me the most.

"Piper? Wait, how do you know Piper?" "Well she's an old friend of mine and I saw her on the staff floor a while ago and we got talking." Well, that was interesting. I was learning a lot of new stuff today. But what I was really itching to learn is what exactly is going on in this hospital.

"Yeah, guys… I didn't get fired but I'm not feeling too god. I think I should head home. Can one of you take care of Percy for me?"

All the girls but one murmured sympathetically and they quickly scattered. Meanwhile, Thalia just crossed her arms as I took off my scrubs and silently packed my stuff, careful not to crumple the booklets. After I had finished, I slung my bag over my shoulder and walked briskly out the door. I could hear Thalia's footsteps right behind me. I ran the last twenty metres straight into the lift and quickly pushed and prodded the close button before I myself was fully inside. Thalia's eyes widened as she realised what I was doing and she sprinted right for the closing door.

She was half a second too late.

I thanked the gods fervently as the lift doors closed. Milliseconds later brought the sound of Thalia furiously screaming her name and banging on the door. I'm sorry, Thalia. I'll explain when I get my own answers.

…

…Narrator's P.O.V…

Something was up at Half-blood Hospital.

A night of reading and comparing had left Annabeth with this one definite fact. At first, she had held tightly to her different editions idea, but that had soon been disproved. Right inside the front covers had been the same date, meaning they were from the same printing.

Things only got stranger from there. While the copy she had been given seemed like a strict, but otherwise normal type of rulebook, comparing it to the other two brought some glaring differences to light.

In her supposed copy, talking with people who worked on other floors was strictly forbidden. In the other one, talking to people outside the building about their work wasn't allowed, but there was no mention of restriction concerning those within. There were also whole sections that appeared in the new one that weren't in hers. Most of these concerned employee functions, and it made sense that hers would be different.

But when she got to the sections dealing directly with patients, she couldn't come up with any such logical reasons. Almost everything in those sections was different, from the amount of information the aides knew about each patient, to the contact with doctors and family members.

The thing that really made her uneasy, however, was the information that the other book held on the seventh floor. Her floor. While the map of the building in her rulebook had the seventh floor clearly marked as a limited private patient ward, the other listed it as housing a testing laboratory. It was coded as off limits to all but employees with the highest clearance. And as for the last one, it just said the seventh floor was a training ground for all new interns.

Annabeth didn't think for an instant that this was something she was simply misunderstanding. The foreboding feeling that had hit her on her first visit was back, weighing heavily in the pit of her stomach. Something was going on inside those walls, and she was fairly certain it was something serious.

Why would someone go to such lengths to hide the existence of four people? Who was so intent on keeping the people who worked with those patients from talking to anyone else? Whoever it was had to consider keeping Percy and the others secret a fairly important task if they were willing to go so far as to mislabel floors to keep people away from them.

Flipping back to the staff page of her binder, Annabeth scanned the listings. Starting at the top, it gave the names and positions of the higher-ranking employees. As she read, something caught her eye.

Institute Administrator: Zeus Grace  
. . . . . . . Executive Assistants: Poseidon Jackson, Hades Di Angelo

Medical Staff Administrator: Apollo Solace  
. . . . . . . Executive Assistant: Hermes Stoll

Was this some kind of a joke?

All these people were named after the twelve legendary Olympian gods. Had she just walked right into some sort of prank? This was America, after all.

Flipping further she saw more names that belonged in the Olympian circle.

Head Nurse: Aphrodite Mclean  
. . . . . . . Executive Assistant: Demeter Gardener

Wait, wasn't that Katie's last name? Strange, considering that the last name "Gardener" was not very common. And Thalia is a Grace too although that is a little more common. Annabeth was starting to sense a pattern here… But what really shocked her was the name that next appeared. And she thought that this day would not get any more shocking. How wrong.

Organiser and Architect: Athena Chase  
. . . . . . Executive Assistant: Artemis Moon

Before she had died, her mother had been the most famous and powerful architect in the world. Her real name was Anthea but she was so smart and so good at what she did that hardly anyone called her by her real name. When Annabeth was nine, her mother was reported dead after bring in the hospital for two years in critical condition. She never even got to see the body.

Annabeth really started to believe this was just some sick joke.

Or could this woman really be her?

**END OF CHAPTER**


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